Wednesday, 1 December 2010

...AND REGRETTING LABOUR'S ROLE IN INTRODUCING TUITION FEESIN THE FIRST PLACE

Caroline Lucas, Britain's first Green MP, todaysponsors an amendment to an opposition motion on tuition fees in an effortto toughen-up Labour's critique and call to account Liberal Democrat MPswho have failed to honour their pledge to oppose increases in tuition fees.

Today sees an Opposition Day debate on school sports funding and thentuition fees (1). Labour leader Ed Milliband has put forward what theGreens regard as a weak motion (2) calling on the government to publish itseducation plans in detail and expressing concern over student debt. TheGreen Party leader, together with MPs from the Scottish and Welshnationalist parties, has tabled an amendment (3) spelling out a muchtougher critique of the government, noting Labour's role in introducingtuition fees in the first place, and calling on Lib Dem MPs to honour theirpledge to oppose rises in tuition fees.

Caroline Lucas commented thisafternoon from her constituency, where she was taking part in a student-ledprotest against tuition fees and education cuts:

"Given that 90% of MPswent to university, mostly without having to pay tuition fees, it'scompletely unacceptable that the Tories and Lib Dems are getting away withthis.

"Liberal Democrats are breaking the promises that helped them getelected, and meanwhile Labour is failing to provide the real challenge thecountry wants to see."

NOTES

1. The Opposition Day debate is expectedto start some time after 1530 and may continue until 2200.

"That this House believes that theGovernment should publish a White Paper on higher education in England,setting out the full detail of its plans for higher education funding andstudent finance before asking Parliament to vote on whether to raise thefee cap; is concerned that major questions about how the Government'smarket in higher education is intended to work remain unanswered; isconcerned that recent graduates will be responsible for repaying loans forup to 30 years because the teaching grant is being cut by 80 per cent.; andurges the Higher Education Minister to bring forward publication of theWhite Paper."

"Delete after 'House' to end and insert 'notes that,according to a report by the Sutton Trust, 90% of Members of this Housereceived a university education; that an overwhelming majority of Membersreceived this university education for free without the payment of tuitionfees; believes that education is a right, not a privilege and that theintroduction and the raising of tuition fees is an ideological andpolitical choice; is concerned at the effects of the long term impositionof debt upon young people; notes the negative impact that tuition feeincreases in England will have upon the ability of devolved legislatures todetermine their own course due to the funding system; expressesdisappointment at the original decision by the previous Labour governmentto introduce tuition fees which undermined the principle of free highereducation and led to the situation where institutions may now increase feesby nearly 300% if current government proposals are adopted; calls onMembers of this House who signed pledges to protect students and fighttuition fees to keep to those pledges rather than let down theirconstituents and break the democratic contract with their electoratethrough misleading them as to their actions when elected.'"

...AND REGRETTING LABOUR'S ROLE IN INTRODUCING TUITION FEESIN THE FIRST PLACE

Caroline Lucas, Britain's first Green MP, todaysponsors an amendment to an opposition motion on tuition fees in an effortto toughen-up Labour's critique and call to account Liberal Democrat MPswho have failed to honour their pledge to oppose increases in tuition fees.

Today sees an Opposition Day debate on school sports funding and thentuition fees (1). Labour leader Ed Milliband has put forward what theGreens regard as a weak motion (2) calling on the government to publish itseducation plans in detail and expressing concern over student debt. TheGreen Party leader, together with MPs from the Scottish and Welshnationalist parties, has tabled an amendment (3) spelling out a muchtougher critique of the government, noting Labour's role in introducingtuition fees in the first place, and calling on Lib Dem MPs to honour theirpledge to oppose rises in tuition fees.

Caroline Lucas commented thisafternoon from her constituency, where she was taking part in a student-ledprotest against tuition fees and education cuts:

"Given that 90% of MPswent to university, mostly without having to pay tuition fees, it'scompletely unacceptable that the Tories and Lib Dems are getting away withthis.

"Liberal Democrats are breaking the promises that helped them getelected, and meanwhile Labour is failing to provide the real challenge thecountry wants to see."

NOTES

1. The Opposition Day debate is expectedto start some time after 1530 and may continue until 2200.

"That this House believes that theGovernment should publish a White Paper on higher education in England,setting out the full detail of its plans for higher education funding andstudent finance before asking Parliament to vote on whether to raise thefee cap; is concerned that major questions about how the Government'smarket in higher education is intended to work remain unanswered; isconcerned that recent graduates will be responsible for repaying loans forup to 30 years because the teaching grant is being cut by 80 per cent.; andurges the Higher Education Minister to bring forward publication of theWhite Paper."

"Delete after 'House' to end and insert 'notes that,according to a report by the Sutton Trust, 90% of Members of this Housereceived a university education; that an overwhelming majority of Membersreceived this university education for free without the payment of tuitionfees; believes that education is a right, not a privilege and that theintroduction and the raising of tuition fees is an ideological andpolitical choice; is concerned at the effects of the long term impositionof debt upon young people; notes the negative impact that tuition feeincreases in England will have upon the ability of devolved legislatures todetermine their own course due to the funding system; expressesdisappointment at the original decision by the previous Labour governmentto introduce tuition fees which undermined the principle of free highereducation and led to the situation where institutions may now increase feesby nearly 300% if current government proposals are adopted; calls onMembers of this House who signed pledges to protect students and fighttuition fees to keep to those pledges rather than let down theirconstituents and break the democratic contract with their electoratethrough misleading them as to their actions when elected.'"